A 6 week course introducing young people to Graphic Design
Hello!
Calling all teenagers and slightly older primary school kids… Have you ever wanted to know more about graphic design and the possibility of a career in design?
Graphic design is the art of using text, colours, shapes, photography and illustration in a way to communicate a message – whether that a poster design, a powerpoint presentation or a logo…
Summer of Design will introduce you to many elements of graphic design. Each week / module we will focus on a different area of design with fun projects that you can complete over the summer holidays. You can easily fit them around vacations, visiting friends and family. The projects are easy to take part in and 100% WILL NOT FEEL LIKE HOMEWORK!
If you miss a week, no problem – there’s catch up time. Maybe you’ll even do 2 modules in one week!
Once you have signed up to the course you’ll have access to all the videos so you can get started before the summer holidays if you wish. The first project is great to start thinking about early.
Each module has a project video along with a mini-masterclass covering the following areas:
• Ideas & Inspiration
• Typography (typefaces & letterforms)
• Colour
• Hieroglyphics to Emojis… Design History
• Logos
• Composition
This course is also perfect to fit into home educating. A few past students have taken it as part of their Silver Arts Award.
Join the waiting list for
Summer of Design 2024!
Be the first to hear when Summer of Design 2024 goes live in May 2024. There will be 100 places reserved at a very special early bird price of £25 plus VAT.
WHAT WILL WE COVER?
Week 1 – First we will talk about what graphic design is and go on to explore ways to come up with ideas and inspiration for design projects. A lot of these tips apply to all sorts of creative work. You’ll be set your first project called the 100 Project which you can complete over the whole summer.
Week 2 – Typography… By the end of this module you will have a new found love for typefaces and how they communicate different messages to the reader.
Week 3 – Colour… We will cover the big subject of colour palettes and how just by changing the colours of a design you can change the feeling and personality. You’ll learn all about colour psychology and how to use that within art and design.
Week 4 – Hieroglyphics to Emojis… This week will be a catch up week for some of the projects and in the masterclass we will talk about the history of visual communication and some legendary graphic designers.
Week 5 – Logos… We will look at the role a logo plays for a brand or an event and have a go at designing our own logo.
Week 6 – Composition… Now everything you’ve learned will come together to create a poster or flier – we will look at how to arrange the type, what imagery and colours to use. I will also teach you a little about a free online programme called Canva.
WHO AM I ANYWAY?
Hello, I’m Faye Brown – a design and branding specialist. I have over 20 years experience in the design industry. I began my career designing motion graphics for television with clients such as the BBC, ITV and the Discovery Channel. In 2010 I set up my own business Faye Brown Designs and now focus on branding projects with creative solopreneurs and small businesses. I have taught over 90,000 students on Skillshare in subjects such as typography, creativity, colour and branding.
Graphic design surrounds us daily from mobile apps, websites, social media, packaging, logos, road signs to television graphics. When I was a kid I always loved art and design but had no idea what graphic design was. More so, I never imagined at 10 that I could make a living doing something I enjoyed so much. I feel graphic design is something that isn’t covered much at school and yet is a skill that can be very helpful in many careers, as well as being a very enjoyable career as a specialism. This course will introduce young people to graphic design. What you will learn can be carried through into school presentations, poster designs and beyond.
I live in Hampshire with my husband and two kids aged 10 and 12. My son will be joining in with the course too!
TESTIMONIALS
QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE
My child is 8, are they too young?
I’ve aimed this course mostly at 10-17 year olds. There will certainly be some projects younger children would enjoy but some of the terminology might be beyond younger children. If they have older siblings taking part I’m sure the younger ones would enjoy helping them with some of the projects.
I have more than 1 child who wants to take part, should I pay for each child?
No please don’t, families are welcome to join together. I just ask that the links to the course are not shared outside the family household. I’ve tried to keep the cost low for everyone to join.
Can I share the video links with friends?
I’ve tried to keep the cost low and a lot of hard work has gone into making this course so I do ask that the links are not shared outside of households.
We are away over summer, is it worth signing up?
Oh yes! This course is self paced so feel free to watch the videos when you can and work along with the projects. You will also have access to the videos until summer 2026.
We can’t afford it, is there another way to join?
I have 10 places available for free but I really want to keep these for families who need a free space. If your child would really love to take part, please email me hello@fayebrown.co.uk for one of those spots.
I am home educating my child/ren. Will this course be suitable for us?
Lots of home educating families have taken this course previously and I’ve had really good feedback. If you work to a schedule try to allow 1-2 hours per module to watch the masterclass and complete the projects. Module 1 might need longer but this is more of an ongoing project.
Here is Sharon’s thoughts on the course as a home educating parent:
My home educated 14 year old did this course as part of his silver arts award. He could follow it at his own pace, it was well organised, the challenges were fun, and Faye was responsive to queries. I think it is excellent value for money and would highly recommend it to anyone with a tween or teen who is interested in design.
What equipment is needed?
I’ve made the projects as accessible as possible so no special programmes or kit are necessary. However access to a camera (smart phone etc) would be handy. Along with any general art equipment – pens, paper, paint etc… and some old magazines would also be handy to hold on to for the course. Towards the end of the course I will introduce the kids to Canva which is a free online graphics tool, so access to a laptop would be handy but again not essential.
Will you have any direct interaction with the students?
No… due to lots of safeguarding rules regarding under 18s it’s easier to have the video pre-recorded and any communication via the parents email. There is an option to tag me on instagram for older children who want feedback on their projects. If, as the parent, you are not happy with this please ask your child to not do that.
As the parent you are welcome to email me or hashtag me yourself via instagram with your kids projects and I’ll try to reply to as many as possible. I am DBS checked.
My child doesn’t think they are very creative / can’t draw – does this matter?
I would encourage your child to take the course – it’s amazing how many children (and adults) don’t see themselves as creative and yet they are in many ways. This course will help unlock that creativity!
One of my friends is not the best at drawing but he’s a fantastic graphic designer. You really don’t have to be able to draw well! However a lot of this is all subjective – some really interesting illustration techniques and styles can be done using your non-dominant hand.
If my child doesn’t get round to doing the course can we get a refund?
I won’t be able to offer refunds but the beauty of the course is you will have access until summer 2026 so lots of time to complete the videos. The projects are optional, they will still learn a lot by just watching the masterclasses.